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User blog:Pinkguy the b0ss/Super Mario All-Stars Review
What's up my Shreks, it's DiamondMinerStudios here, and dammit I need to stop saying "I don't know what will be next" at the end of these reviews. This time, after playing Super Mario World on my All-Stars + World cartridge, I thought "why not finally give Super Mario All-Stars the review treatment?" This time, things will be a little different. As of writing this introduction (June 25, 2019), I haven't finished all of the games on Super Mario All-Stars. Therefore, for those particular games (Lost Levels and SMB2) I'll simply offer my impressions of what I've played so far. In addition, I've already reviewed the All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 3, so that section will be shorter than the others. I'll also briefly touch on the All-Stars + World variant, which I own in addition to All-Stars and World standalone. I'm also not going to discuss the stories of each game as I've done so in the past in other reviews. Anyways, how do I think these remakes compare to the original versions? Are they better or worse? As I always say in every one of these, let's find out. Complete with custom covers I made for each game, because why not. Super Mario Bros. 'Graphics' This version of this game is the best-looking one by far. The NES version's visuals are unappealing with the small amount of colors, of course limited to brown, green, white, and occasional splashes of blue and red. This version, on the other hand, still looks great to this day. There's a much wider pallette of colors and much greater detail to the environments. The backgrounds are also much better : instead of simply being a flat color, they're actual backgrounds that have a decent amount of detail to them. Overall, the visuals in the All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. are a massive step up from the NES version. It also looks better SMB Deluxe for GBC and Classic NES Series version for GBA, as those feature more or less the same visuals as the NES version. 'Soundtrack' Just like the graphics, this rendition of the soundtrack is much better than the others. As great as the NES version's soundtrack was, the All-Stars version is a clear step up for me. The melodies have obviously been preserved since they're the same songs, but the instrumentation of the remake makes the songs more catchy. In fact, this game's version of the original overworld theme may just be my favorite rendition of the song. This game also adds a new theme for underground bonus areas rather than just recycling the underground theme, and has a new track for the Bowser fights. However, I still prefer the NES rendition of the castle theme. Despite this, the SNES version of Super Mario Bros. has the best rendition of the soundtrack by far. 'Gameplay' This version's gameplay is just as solid as the original. I didn't used to think this, because of one unfortunate flaw - the brick glitch. In this version, hitting brick blocks makes you hang in the air for a second rather than immediately falling back to the ground, which does make this game a little slower-paced than the original. This used to annoy the hell out of me, but now, not as much. I also used to accuse this version of bad controls, but..... what was I thinking? This game controls no differently than the NES version and feels just as good to play. Now, having completed this version, I still have no idea why I used to hate it, because it's still a great game. 'Difficulty' The difficulty balancing has been improved from the original. For one, you start with five lives instead of only three, which I appreciate. The biggest addition, though, has to be the save feature. It's not perfect as you can only save what world you're on rather than the level you were on, but it's still a welcome improvement. Other than that, there are no significant differences in the difficulty of the NES and SNES versions. It's simply that the SNES version is more accessible as you don't have to beat it in one sitting, but as this wasn't a super long game to begin with, it's not a huge flaw that the NES version had no way to save the game. 'Conclusion' As I said before, I have no clue what I was thinking when I said this version sucked. It's still a fantastic game that I would say is worth playing. It's definitely the objectively best version in my opinion, but my favorite is still the NES version. This is primarily because of the brick physics of the remake, which while they don't come anywhere near ruining the game, they still are a flaw nonetheless. However, if you haven't played the first Super Mario Bros. before, I'd recommend you play this version first. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels 'Graphics' Just like Mario 1, this version is a significant visual improvement over the original Famicom Disk System version, and for the same reasons. However, this is an even greater improvement, as the original was literally the ugliest Mario game ever made with eye-searing textures and horrendous color choices (yes, even uglier than SMB1 on NES, because at least that game had textures that were easier on the eyes). 'Soundtrack' Since the original was lazy and featured the same exact music from Mario 1, this remake also features the same music from the Mario 1 remake. Like I said, the SNES OST is much better than the original with the exception of the castle theme. 'Gameplay' Unfortunately, this is where the positives end. This game is my absolute least favorite Mario game in the main series. The remake is not at fault here, because the Famicom Disk version was already awful. This game features the worst level design in any Mario game. As much as I didn't care for 6-7 and 7-4 from Super Mario Bros. 3, Chocolate Island 2 from Super Mario World, Cool Cool Mountain and Rainbow Ride from Super Mario 64, the Pachinko Machine from Super Mario Sunshine, and especially 4-1, 4-2, 5-2, 5-3, and 7-2 from Super Mario Advance (aka Super Mario Bros. 2 USA), the level design from Lost Levels makes those stages look like the best platformer levels ever made. It features annoying setpieces like the springs, enemy placement that would make Metropolis Zone blush, and horrendous gimmicks.... like the wind. Yeah, a wind gimmick. In a 2D Mario game. I didn't mind the wind in Gusty Glade from Donkey Kong Country 2, as that level was built around the gimmick in an intelligent and fun way. In this game, however, it completely kills whatever stages it's in, which would have been horrible even if the setpiece wasn't there. The SNES version is slightly better than the original for a few reasons, but since it still has these issues, it's still not a good game. It's almost like this game was intentionally and maliciously designed to be as frustrating as possible. Wait, it was advertised as being "for super players," right? Aw shit, it makes all too much sense. 'Difficulty' As you can probably infer, the SNES version of the game has improved difficulty balancing over the original version. The original did have unlimited continues, but like Mario 1's continue code, they start you at the beginning of the world you got a game over in. It wasn't a big deal in Mario 1 as that game was well-designed and a lot of fun. In this game, though, it further buries it into the ground because this game is horrendously designed, is a frustrating chore to play, and has no fun factor whatsoever because of it. Thankfully, there is a save feature in the SNES version that saves what level you're on. This puzzles me as to why the other remakes couldn't have this, as it's a great addition. However, in the case of Lost Levels, it's the only thing that makes the game playable. The SNES version is by far the definitive one because of this addition alone. This still doesn't mean the SNES version is a good game, but yeah. 'Conclusion' I hate this game. It has the worst level design, most obnoxious enemy placement, and most infuriating level gimmicks in the whole Mario series. While I found Super Mario Advance (and by extension the other versions of Super Mario Bros. 2 USA) to be somewhat frustrating at times, that game still had overall good level design, competent difficulty balancing, and was above all still an enjoyable game. Lost Levels, on the other hand, has almost nothing going for it, which applies to both the original FDS version and the SNES remake. They both at least have a good soundtrack and the SNES version has pretty good visuals, but beyond that, I have pretty much nothing good to say about them. If you want to play Lost Levels, first off..... what the hell is wrong with you? Second, if you absolutely have to, play the SNES version. The two versions of this game are the worst Mario platformers ever made, and two of the worst games I've ever played in my life. I would recommend skipping this one. Super Mario Bros. 2 'Graphics' Like the other two remakes, the graphics of the SNES version are a great improvement over the NES version. The NES SMB2 looked okay, but it wasn't all that appealing with its somewhat dull color choices. The SNES version looks pretty solid by comparison, and is the best-looking version of the game. 'Soundtrack' This is gonna come as a shock, but.... this version has by far the worst rendition of the soundtrack. The songs, especially the underground theme, sound like ass in comparison to the damn good NES rendition and the glorious GBA rendition. It doesn't sound horrible, but it's still not that pleasant on the ears. 'Gameplay' This game is pretty fun. The controls feel somewhat slippery and a little bit stiff, but still work well enough to make the game very playable. The mechanics are also unique for Mario, with the vegetable throwing and lack of enemy stomping. The level design works well for what it is, but it's nonetheless not quite as refined as other entries in the series. There are occasionally levels I'm not a fan of, but it never reaches the frustration thereshold that Lost Levels often did. These things still lead me to enjoy this game less than the others, and it feels like a step down from the first game. My opinions of the NES version of this game are essentially the exact same. 'Difficulty' This is the second-hardest game on the Super Mario All-Stars collection. This is mostly because the controls aren't as good as other games and the scrolling technique used, which I mentioned in my Super Mario Advance review. Regardless, this is better than the NES version because of its improvements in the difficulty balancing, including a save feature, whereas the NES version had limited continues. Unfortunately, health refills are extremely rare, unlike the GBA version, which makes this game way harder than neccessary. However, it's still not as frustrating as Lost Levels, that I can tell you. 'Conclusion' Overall, this is a good game, but it's not as good as most other entries in the series. The GBA version is still my favorite of the three, and the NES version is my least favorite. This one feels like a cross between those two, with the better visuals and save feature of the GBA, and the dated health system of the NES. However, I'd still say this game is worth playing. Super Mario Bros. 3 'Graphics' Like I said in my SMB3 review, this version has the best visuals of the three. The already great-looking NES version is improved upon here, and this version has a greater color pallette than the GBA version. It even looks a little better than Super Mario World for the slightly greater detail. However, that game is still my favorite looking 2D Mario game because I prefer its artstyle. 'Soundtrack' This rendition of the OST is middle-of-the-road for the three versions. I like the NES version's OST the most, while the GBA version has the weakest of the three. This one sounds like a higher-quality version of the GBA renditions, but it's still not as catchy or lively as the NES version. It sounds pretty good, just not the best. 'Gameplay' This game has excellent controls, just like the NES and GBA versions. It feels slightly less tight than the NES version, but it's a very subtle difference that I doubt most would notice. The level design is also extremely solid, being the best of the four games included on the All-Stars standalone cartridge. I say this because I consider Super Mario World to have the better level design, and once that game is factored in on the All-Stars + World cartridge it's obviously my favorite game in the compilation. But, on the variant of All-Stars that doesn't include World, SMB3 has the best level design of the four games. It's challenging while still remaining fair throughout, and the levels feature some fairly creative ideas and clever platforming. These things all make this one of the most enjoyable games in the whole series. 'Difficulty' Like I just said, this is a pretty challenging game, but it's still very forgiving for a variety of reasons. This game keeps you amply stocked with extra lives and items, having plenty of lives and coins in each level, slot machine minigames to earn more lives, a card minigame that lets you earn a card at the end of each level to get even more lives, and plenty of toad houses and hammer brothers on the world maps for you to earn items from. In addition, the levels are also fair, and enemies are never placed in unfair spots. The SNES version also adds a save feature, which is a slight improvement as it only saves up to the beginning of the world you're on. This is still a decent improvement over the original, but it doesn't elevate the SNES version over the original in my eyes. 'Conclusion' Overall, this game is amazing. The All-Stars version is just as good as the other two, and remains a fantastic version. However, my personal favorite is still the NES version, and the GBA version is my second-favorite. Even though it's my least favorite, I still don't mind playing the SNES version every now and then. I would definitely recommend this version, especially if you have no way to play the other two. Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World Now it's time to briefly touch on the All-Stars + World variant of this game. If I had to choose one version of this game to get, it would for sure be this one. It includes the four remakes I've already talked about, which is already worth it, but the addition of what I consider the best 2D Mario game (and the best 2D platformer in general), Super Mario World, really solidifies this. This is the definitive version of the game for me. It's obviously the SNES version of the game, almost identical to the standalone version. However, this variant includes an extra save file to fit in with the other games. In addition, it features the best Luigi sprite in the whole 2D series. Luigi was just a green Mario in the standalone version, but he actually looks like himself in this version. The All-Stars version also allows you to exit the game (BE SURE TO SAVE BEFORE DOING SO) by pressing select on the map screen, so you don't have to hit reset if you want to play a different game on the cartridge. Super Mario Advance 2 on the GBA is also a great version and is probably the objectively best one, but since I personally prefer the SNES version, I still consider the All-Stars variant the definitive Super Mario World experience. Frankly, it's a little weird that Nintendo didn't re-release this version on Virtual Console. Conclusion In conclusion, Super Mario All-Stars is an amazing compilation and provides great updates to games that were overall great to begin with. The standalone version of the game is fantastic on its own, but the All-Stars + World version is really what makes this game something special. If I had to recommend one game out of all of this, Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World is the one to go with. Having Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars seperate from one another is still a fine way to experience these games, but it's just more convenient to have them all in one cartridge. As for what comes next, I actually do have an idea of what I want to review in the forseeable future. Damn, it's about time, isn't it? The next review will most likely be of the original Spyro the Dragon, because I'm getting close to finishing it and replaying Spyro 3 recently put me in the mood to play Spyro games again. If for any reason it's not that, I'll likely be starting the first three Ratchet & Clank games on PS2 as I'm fairly interested in playing them after hearing nothing but positivity about them online. For now, the original Crash trilogy, Pac-Man World 1 and 2, Banjo-Tooie, Luigi's Mansion, Earthworm Jim, and a bunch of games on the Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, and XBOX 360 are on the backburner, as I don't have much interest in playing them as of now. Whether it's Spyro or Ratchet, or if something suddenly changes and I end up reviewing something completely different, I'll see you all next time. Category:Blog posts